Colete Encarnado 2026: line-up, concerts and dates in Vila Franca de Xira
The 94th Colete Encarnado festival runs July 3-5 in Vila Franca de Xira. Full line-up: concerts from Camané to D.A.M.A., bull runs and campinos.
If there’s one festival that puts the whole Ribatejo out on the street, this is it. From July 3 to 5, Vila Franca de Xira celebrates the 94th Colete Encarnado, its biggest festival, with three days devoted to the Tejo floodplains and the figure at the heart of it all: the campino, the region’s traditional herdsman.
If you’ve never seen it, here’s a taste. There are bulls in the streets and in the ring, campinos on horseback, bull runs, esperas and an encierro for the younger crowd. The bullfighting tradition drives the programme, but there’s something for every taste, with roving entertainment and gatherings winding through the town.
Music to close the night
The stages don’t disappoint. The line-up brings names like Camané, Toy, Fernando Daniel and D.A.M.A. — a blend of fado, popular music and pop that tends to keep the grounds packed into the small hours. It’s the kind of bill that brings whole families down into town.
The highlight
The most anticipated moment is the Homage to the Campino, which this year honours Francisco Honrado with the Pampilho de Honra. And on the 5th, the Palha Blanco ring hosts the traditional mixed bullfight. It’s worth checking times before you head out, because the programme is packed and the highlights spread across all three days.
A note for those who don’t care for the bullfighting side: the festival is large and offers plenty beyond the ring, from music to street entertainment. There’s room to pick what you want to see.
See also: the July festivals guide and the NOS Alive line-up. Official programme at coleteencarnado.cm-vfxira.pt.
Image: No machine-readable author provided. Juntas assumed (base… / Wikimedia Commons (public domain)
